We spent the rest of the afternoon getting ready for the party. Despite the fact that we had our servants we always helped them, John helped to prepare the food and I with the cleaning, conversely Theodore stayed in his bedroom and didn't bothered to give us a hand. I suspect he must be mad at John for inviting Amelie. I can't say that I didn't understand the reason why he was so upset and I must admit I kind of felt the same thing. I mean she left her own family but I would at least try to walk in her shoes and comprehend her, she had her reasons to do that right? I really wanted to talk to her, the problem is that I didn't know what to say to her. ''Hi Amelie how is your with your lover who you left us for?'' I couldn't say something like that I would probably figure something out.


I went to my room to dress up, I picked a long elegant black dress with some black heels that i combined with silver earrings and necklace. I brushed my hair and did some small waves on it. While I was doing my make up someone knocked on the door.

<<Come in>> i said putting down my crayon. The room entered a woman around fifty, her hair were half brown and half white, up in a nice bun she was wearing a red crayon that fitted perfectly with her emerald green dress.<<Aunt Josephine!>> I got up and went and hug her.

<<Honey, oh my.... look at you! You look absolutely diving! How are you?>> she said when we pulled away.

<<Thank you I 'm good. You look great too! How are Jones, Cooper and Flora?>> Aunt Josephine was a successful author although she didn't have any children neither she was married but she had three cats Jones, Cooper and Flora. She is a very caring, she was one of the little people that were by our side when we lost our parents, she usually visited to ask if we needed something. Also she willingly helped John solve some problems that he had to face while leading the company at first.

I remember that when I was younger I used to go to her house and sitting on her lap on the balcony while she was spinning me fairy tails about magical creatures that she had created, she always was a very talented writer.

<<How is your last novel going?>> I asked I loved her stories she was excellent at writing that it didn't surprise me at all how successful she was.

<<Well... I 'm working on a new one but the last one unfortunately didn't go as plant. It didn't had a lot seals>>

<<Don't worry about it I 'm sure they will rise again any time soon>> I said to cheer her up it was the first time that one of her books had not gone famous.

<<Now I think we should be going at the party>>

I nodded and we went out of my heading to the ballroom where the party was. I saw William walking in the hallway his hand had dirt on them.

<<Miss Miller>> he greeded me when he spotted me.

<<Hi William>> I responded him

I looked at of the windows in the hallway it was snowing, when I was ten I used to love making snowmen and playing fights with my siblings, I still have a desire to do those things though. Once when I was sixteen; my mother said to me that things like those are childish and I couldn't like them, that I had to grow up so I did.

<<So... I learned that you got engaged>> aunt Josephine said snapping me out of my thoughts. <<Who is that lucky one?>>

<<Henry Bramston, he is a really nice person we have been dating for four years>> I answered her <<He is coming tonight. I'll introduce him to you>>

<<You better will>> she said with a light smile on her face.


When we enter the ballroom it only had a few people some relatives, my brothers and a tall curly browned hair young man with bright emerald green eyes, James John's best friend. They have been knowing each other since middle school and they have a really strong friendship that I was a bit jealous of how they were so close like they knew each other their whole life. James and I weren't friends but we enjoyed sitting together and talking about things. Only we two along with Theodore called my brother John and not Jonathan. I walked over to them to greet him because I hadn't saw him in a while.

<<Betty! Hi, how are you?>> he said when he saw me and a smile started appearing on his face. He was a very cheerful person always in the mood for jokes and a light talk and he had that marvelous aura that you wanted to be around, I believe that was most because of his talent to stay optimistic all the time; even in the complete dark he could see the light.

<<Hi,I'm great. It's good to see you James>>

<<It's good to see you too. You look good>> he said his emerald eyes looking at my brown ones.

<<Thank you, you don't look bad yourself either>> I responded looking at him up and down, he was wearing a black suit which fitted him incredibly good. The truth is that he was always good looking, he had that kind of beauty like he was a character from a fairy tail.

<<Thank you. John told me that you got engaged; congratulations. Who is the lucky guy?>> he asked, for a moment I thought that the smile fated from his face a little bit but it must have been an illusion.

<<Well it's true...>> I didn't finished my sentence because I heard a voice behind me:

<<Hey babe>> I turned around to see Henry on a dark blue suit and his blonde hair made.<<You look diving>> he said as he came and stand next to me.

<<Thanks, you look incredible too>> I smiled and he lowered his head and kissed me softly on my leaps.<< Henry, this is James Walker John's best friend. James, this is Henry Bramston my fiance>> I did the introductions.

<<Nice to meet you>> said James still wearing that beautiful smile of his but it didn't seem as bright as it was. He expanded his hand for a handshake which Henry accepted.

<<Nice to meet meet you too>> Henry responded. <<Jonathan, happy birthday>> he turned to John.

<<Thanks, good to see you>> he answered him.

<<Now Betty, I think it's time for you to meet my family, come on>> I nodded.

<<Excuse us for a moment>> I said to John and James and went with Henry. I gathered all the courage I could find and wore my best and most friendly smile and we walked were two men were. One was a very old man with greasy hair, he had to be around sixty, hi was a bit shorter than me and he had a little chubby body. The other one wasn't very old he had to be some years older than me and his body was thin and tall, his hair was dark brown and his eyes big with a nice grey colour in them. His face looked familiar, I thought that I had saw this face before, but were?

<<Betty, this is my father Ronald Bramston and this is my older brother Brian. Father, Brian this Betty Miller>>

<<Hello>> I greeted them they extended their hands for a handshake which I nervously accepted.

<<So you are Betty, who we've been hearing about so much>> said Mr Bramston with a warm laugh. <<I have to say that you look better in person. Henry is a lucky man to have someone like you>>

<<Thank you so much for the compliments Mr Bramston, I am lucky to have someone like your son as well. He is a wonderful person you raised him well>> I thanked him trying to hit the fact that my heart was beating so fast that I thought it would come out of my chest.

<<Indeed, my wife and I did an excellent job>>he said with a nostalgic expression on his face.<<Sadly she passed away five years ago from cancer>>

<<I'm deeply sorry for your loss, it must be hard without her>> I felt blue hearing that, Henry had never mentioned that he had lost his mother and I could sense why. When I lost my parents I went through a difficult time it took me almost a year to recover.

<<I believe we should change topic, shall we?>> said Brian who looked like he was unable to talk about his mother as it had to be a very sensitive subject for him to discuss.<<So Betty what do you do?>>

<<I study business administration and management on Harvard University and I work as a probationer on the family company and when I finish with my studies I will operate it along with my brother Johnathan>> I answered him trying to look as casually as I could. Just then John came by to introduce himself.

<<Hello, I 'm Johnathan Miller, Betty's older brother>>he said as he scanned Mr Bramston and Brian like they had something unusual on them but they looked all fine to me.

<<I am Ronald Bramston and this is my son Brian>> they did a hand shake and then Mr Bramston spoke again. <<How are works going? I heard your have been busy lately>>

<<Well it's true but the company is doing absolutely great and it is very profitable>> he answered them but there was something strange on his face. It didn't have its calm, peaceful look that was guaranteeing you that everything was fine. I could read his face that something wasn't alright, at least it didn't seem right to him. It probably was that he was just checking if Henry's family were good people and how they would treat me. John was very overprotected with me and Theodore and he became even more when our parents died, since he had been under the impression that as the oldest he had the responsibility of keeping the family together. So I think that this weird attitude of him is because of that, where else could it be from? << What is your occupation may I ask?>> John asked him.

<<I own a clinic and I'm a neurosurgeon and as you know after Henry gets his degree he will work with me. Almost everyone in our family were doctors, however that is not the case for Brian, he is a history professor in Philips Academy. Ιt seems that this apple has actually fallen quite far from the tree>> Mr Bramston answered with a light laugh at the end of his sentence and hit Brian's shoulder sympathetically.

<<Could you excuse us for some moments we have to greet other guests as well>> said John and after the Bramstons nodded in understatement he went away from them and I followed him.


Now the ballroom was filled with people talking with each other, everyone wearing smart cloths and waiters walking around offering people drinks such us wine and fire whisky. I turned and looked at John next to me he was acting a bit weird since the reception started.

<<Is something wrong?>>

<<No, I just...what's your impression about Bramstos>> he questioned me, he looked a bit confused but he was putting a lot of effort on stay calm.

<<They seem good people, why?>>

<<I just wonted to know your thoughts about them>>

<<That was all?>> I asked not fully convinced.

<<Also we have to go and talk with Mr Wilson about the alliance and sign contract>>

<<Oh yeah, I almost overlooked it>> I said and we went and found Mr Wilson he was drinking something like fire whisky. He was a small-boned man with no hear and a shinny bald patch in the top of his head. He had a brown mustache with some grey hair on it. Each of us gaped a glass of champagne, which were in a waiter's disk and headed to his direction.

<<Good evening Mr Wilson>> John greeted him and offered his hand for a hand shake.

<<Good evening Mr Miller>> he said as he shook hands with my brother,<<Miss Miller>> he turned to me and we did a handshake.

<<Hello Mr Wilson>>I said smiling politely at him.

<<Mr Wilson we wanted to talk to you>> John spoke up, he seemed calm as usual but I could tell from the look in his eyes that he was nervous about the proposal.<<We have to offer you a proposal, it's about the cooperation of the tow companies>>

Mr Wilson looked at us like he didn't expected to hear something like that and from that I was sure that it would be hard to convince him to accept.

We had been talking for the propose for almost an hour, we tried to make our case by using a million well-supported examples and the only thing he did was staring at us with a dead face without any expressions. I couldn't figure out what he was thinking if he was going to accept or not.

<<Mr Wilson>> I took initiate and spoke.<<I totally understand your hesitation about the proposal. The two companies have been rivals for a really long time but don't you think, if it stop it might be a change for the better?>> I look at him he looked thoughtful, I give a look at John he looked at me back, now it seemed that we both had ran out of ideas.

Mr Wilson took a sip from his whisky and he said:

<<Well, I see that opening a new chapter, it would bring the businesses more money and it's a really clever strategy>> he said, I was almost sure that there had to be a but and he was going to deny but a part of me was still hoping. <<Yes, I accept it>> he replied at the end.

<<Really?>> I asked, I couldn't believe that we had done it!

<<Indeed, it's an intelligent tactic and it will absolutely profitable. So where do I sign?>>he responded sounding thrilling.

<<Come with us please>> said John and we headed to dad's old office, which is John's now.